Check Out Zero Landfill Atlanta’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zero Landfill Atlanta.

Hi Zero Landfill, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Zero Landfill Atlanta began as a grassroots sustainability initiative within the local design community, built around a simple idea: large quantities of usable material were being discarded each year, and there was meaningful opportunity to redirect those resources to people who could use them.

As designers, architects, and manufacturers, we recognize that our industry produces a significant amount of waste. We feel a responsibility to address that impact, and this program is one way we are doing our part. By collecting and redistributing discontinued and excess materials, we help reduce what goes to landfill and encourage more thoughtful use of resources.

Over the past twelve years, the program has developed into an annual community event that diverts expired or discontinued design materials such as textiles, tile, stone, wallcoverings, carpet, and small furnishings away from landfills. These materials are then redistributed to teachers, students, artists, makers, and nonprofits at no cost.

The program operates through seasonal collection and redistribution days. Manufacturers, showrooms, and product representatives donate materials, volunteers from across the design industry help sort and prepare them, and community members select and repurpose them for creative, educational, and social impact projects.

This year marks our 12th anniversary, a milestone that reflects the dedication of countless volunteers and partners, including IIDA Georgia, who help sustain and expand the program each year.

At its core, Zero Landfill Atlanta is about circularity, creativity, and collaboration. By giving unused materials a second life, the program helps reduce landfill waste, supports local makers and educators, and strengthens the relationship between the design industry and the broader community.

We look forward to building on this foundation, increasing awareness, deepening community partnerships, and expanding access to free materials so that Zero Landfill Atlanta can continue to make a positive environmental and social impact for years to come.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not always been a smooth road. Each year, our biggest challenges include managing the large volume of donations, finding enough volunteers, and securing a venue that can accommodate the program’s needs.

For the past three years, Officeworks Inc generously provided space and helped keep the program active and accessible. Their support during that period played an important role in ensuring the continued success of Zero Landfill Atlanta.

This year, we partnered with Lifecycle Building Center, whose commitment to reuse and resource sharing offered a strong foundation for the event. Their collaboration helped operations run very smoothly and helped connect volunteers, donors, and community members more effectively.

We are extremely grateful for the organizations that have supported Zero Landfill Atlanta over the years and helped us continue serving the community and reducing waste.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Zero Landfill Atlanta is dedicated to redirecting discontinued or excess design materials away from landfills and into the hands of teachers, students, artists, makers, and nonprofits. We coordinate seasonal collection and redistribution events where textiles, tile, stone, wallcoverings, carpet, and other usable materials are gathered and made available at no cost to the community.

Our work is rooted in collaboration. We partner with manufacturers, showrooms, product representatives, and volunteers who help collect, sort, and distribute materials. On the receiving end, we serve a wide range of users who put the materials to creative and educational use, from classroom projects to studio work to nonprofit programming.

We are most proud of the positive environmental and community impact the program has made. Over the past twelve years, Zero Landfill Atlanta has diverted thousands of pounds of material from entering landfills. Beyond reducing waste, the program has helped create new opportunities for learning and making by providing free access to quality resources that would otherwise be discarded.

What sets us apart is our ability to connect the design industry’s surplus with community needs in a practical and meaningful way. As designers, architects, and manufacturers, we understand that our industry is responsible for producing a significant amount of waste. Zero Landfill Atlanta offers a simple, accessible path to take responsibility and support a more circular economy. The initiative brings people together with a shared purpose, and every event shows what is possible when industry and community collaborate.

Ultimately, we hope to continue expanding access to materials, deepening partnerships, and growing awareness so that sustainability and creative reuse remain core values within our local design community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.iidageorgia.org/zero-landfill
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iidageorgia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iidageorgia